Latest advice: Don't give Tamiflu to under thirteens

Children should not be given the two main drugs used to treat swine flu because the side-effects outweigh the benefits, experts warned today.

Oxford University researchers said Tamiflu and Relenza could do more harm than good despite being promoted as "magic bullets" against the pandemic.

They said the Government was guilty of having a policy "based on hysteria". The NHS should ditch advice to give children the drugs and said parents should go to their GPs, not use the flu website and phoneline.

They spoke out as the British Medical Journal published their research showing that the antiviral drugs did not prevent complications in children with flu, only had a marginal effect on reducing its transmission and caused side-effects including vomiting.

Researchers from the Oxford University Department of Primary Health Care analysed the results of seven clinical trials in children aged one to 12. They said the information would have been available to the Government before it set up the national flu hotline, which was designed to make it easier for people to get hold of the drugs.

The studies involved seasonal flu but the researchers said the conclusions also applied to swine flu.

Dr Carl Heneghan, a clinical lecturer and GP involved in the study, said: "In this mild outbreak the strategy of giving out this treatment is inappropriate. In 20 children, one child will vomit.

"The harm outweighs the benefit. There are probably no benefits for children to take Tamiflu. I don't see why it should be treated differently from other mild respiratory illnesses.

"We just don't know if Tamiflu will reduce the risk of children developing complications from swine flu. The Government's policy has been based on hysteria and should change now."

Dr Matthew Thompson from the University of Oxford said parents should discuss their children's illness with their GP instead of phoning the swine flu hotline.

He said: "For children between one and 12 GPs should weigh up the risks with parents. In children with a mild illness a more conservative strategy such as bringing the fever down may be more appropriate."

Current government guidance is that GPs should give the drug to anyone who shows symptoms, including children.

But Dr Richard Halvorsen, who runs a practice in Holborn, said antivirals should be used as a last resort.

He said: "It's always been surprising we've been encouraged to offer Tamiflu to virtually all patients when all the time we knew effectiveness was extremely limited. It's put GPs in a difficult position."

The Government insisted Tamiflu should still be prescribed for patients with severe symptoms. A spokeswoman said: "The BMJ review is based on seasonal flu and not swine flu. As the authors note, the extent to which the findings can be applied to the current pandemic is questionable — past pandemics have hit younger people hardest.

"While there is doubt about how swine flu affects children, we believe a safety-first approach of offering antivirals to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward. For those who experience severe symptoms, the best scientific advice tells us that Tamiflu should still be taken as soon as possible — and to suggest otherwise is potentially dangerous."